The popular Harry Potter bar on the rooftop of The Imperial in Melbourne will be torn down after failing to get permission from Warner Bros.
After a three month run as one of the most popular rooftop bars in Melbourne, Vertic Alley’s Harry Potter bar has been issued with a cease and desist notice. The wizard-themed hang out has sat just a hundred metres away from the Princess Theatre since the Australian premiere of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, but it seems the bar’s owners didn’t exactly get permission from Warner Bros before opening…
A Little Bit Of Magic
The bar has been hit with locals and visitors alike, featuring a number of themed pods serving food and drinks inspired by J.K Rowling’s magical world. If you haven’t had a chance to visit the bar already, then it looks like you won’t get to try their famous Buttah Beer or enjoy some Friday night cocktails at Bourke Street Wands or the Imperial Owl Emporium.
Although we couldn’t get enough of the Harry Potter-inspired creations, it seems that Warner Bros was less than impressed. “Anything that is themed Harry Potter must have a legal contract with Warner Bros to ensure that Harry Potter intellectual property is managed correctly and all above board,” they said in a statement. “The pop up is clearly a knock-off from Diagon Alley and they were making money out of it.”
It seems that pub owners don’t intend to disappear without a fight, telling staff that the planned demolition of the pop-up had been ‘paused’, however removal works appear to be in progress.
Just what will happen to the wizard-themed pop-up remains to be seen, but it has definitely added a little bit of magic to the Melbourne skyline, even if only for a short time.
Do you think the Harry Potter themed bar should be forced to close? Let us know in the comments.
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